Tribal Council

RAPID CITY (AP) - An Oglala Sioux tribal judge has upheld the suspensions of some tribal council members who reportedly refused to take a drug test. ?My ruling was really simple,? Lisa Adams said late Friday after a daylong hearing. It was not clear how many council members were suspended. Adams listed six and possibly a seventh, but council members put the number at four or five. She said she thinks the tribal council can require drug tests of its members. ?The goal is to promote a drug-free council.

SIOUX FALLS (AP) - Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Rodney Bordeaux said Tuesday he has been cleared of wrongdoing over a land purchase. The accusation was brought by Webster Two Hawk Sr., who filed petitions against Bordeaux and two tribal council members. Two Hawk claimed that Bordeaux misused tribal funds and violated the tribal constitution and bylaws by purchasing 800 acres in southwest Todd County for $1 million without approval from the tribal council. In a statement released Tuesday, Bordeaux said the ethics commission investigated the accusation and found no validity to it. And Monday the tribal council ruled the hearing out of order.

Area resident Holly Hoffman made it through another week on the CBS show Survivor. Hoffman didn't win the rewards challenge or immunity, but was very safe at tribal council. She is well-liked by other contestants and hasn't made the list of people others want voted off. She now has a one in 10 chance at $1 million.

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribal elders, traditional government and other concerned tribal members will conduct a peaceful march on the tribal council of Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday in Agency Village. The march will include 100 tribal members who are protesting what they say is corruption of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribal government because of several issues, including excessive spending and Dakota Magic Casino management concerns, according to a press release.

Area woman, Holly Hoffman, may be unstoppable on ‘Survivor.' Hoffman of Long Lake/Eureka makes it through another week on the show and her team Espada actually wins both the reward challenge and immunity challenge. Espada was safe from tribal council and La Flor has to vote a member out. For more from the episode, go to the reporters' blog .

In another "Survivor" twist, the tribes were told Wednesday that both would be sending someone home and that they would play for individual immunity. Area resident Holly Hoffman beat other members of the Espada tribe and won individual immunity. When Espada went to tribal council, it was Yve, a younger member, who was sent packing. Hoffman did well overall, despite losing a feast for her tribe. For more from the episode, go to the reporters' blog .

HANKINSON, N.D. (AP) ? A man who supervised the gambling operations of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribe has been fired, and he and the Tribal Council disagree about why. Michael Roberts was suspended without pay Sept. 23, two days after he alleged that the manager of Dakota Magic Casino near the southeastern North Dakota town of Hankinson wrote a series of bad checks. Roberts was fired less than two weeks later, and he says it was retaliation. In the Oct. 2 letter in which Roberts was fired, Tribal Chairman Michael Selvage said Roberts was fired because he hired a new law firm without authorization.

Editor's note: Holly Hoffman's stint on "Survivor: Nicaragua" was voted the No. 4 story of 2010 by the American News newsroom and editorial board. Just how long can you "survive" on "Survivor"? Eureka's Holly Hoffman found out this year when she made it all the way to the final episode. Along the way, she also made some great reality television. How did she do it? Let's look back at Hoffman's travels, week-by-week: AUG. 9: Hoffman was announced as one of 20 contestants on "Survivor: Nicaragua," the 21st edition of the show.

This column continues with an overview of what our South Dakota Ag and Rural leadership class experienced on our July trip. In traveling to the Standing Rock Reservation, we met with members of the Tribal Council and the Bureau of Indian Affairs at offices in Fort Yates, N.D. Many from outside the boundaries are unaware of what is being done with the land and the working of the system. The area straddles the South Dakota and North Dakota border on the west side of the Missouri River.

Last week, I shared thoughts about visiting the Mortenson ranch north of Pierre. There is a second part of the journey that provoked much more thought. This trip was part of the South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership seminar. While the physical landscape is much the same, the boundaries of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in north central South Dakota separate Indian Country from the rest of the state. Ron Brownotter, one of our classmates and a member of the Standing Rock tribe, worked with the tribal government, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the staff at Sitting Bull College to share with us information about agriculture and economic development in that area of the state.

CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. (AP) - The chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe is calling for an economic boycott of Chamberlain after the school board in the southeastern South Dakota city refused to allow a tribal honoring song during Sunday's graduation ceremony. Chairman Brandon Sazue also has called for the withdrawal of millions of dollars of tribal funds from a bank that declined to condemn the school district, and demanded the high school return an eagle feather staff, the Argus Leader reported.

This column continues with an overview of what our South Dakota Ag and Rural leadership class experienced on our July trip. In traveling to the Standing Rock Reservation, we met with members of the Tribal Council and the Bureau of Indian Affairs at offices in Fort Yates, N.D. Many from outside the boundaries are unaware of what is being done with the land and the working of the system. The area straddles the South Dakota and North Dakota border on the west side of the Missouri River.

Last week, I shared thoughts about visiting the Mortenson ranch north of Pierre. There is a second part of the journey that provoked much more thought. This trip was part of the South Dakota Ag and Rural Leadership seminar. While the physical landscape is much the same, the boundaries of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in north central South Dakota separate Indian Country from the rest of the state. Ron Brownotter, one of our classmates and a member of the Standing Rock tribe, worked with the tribal government, the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the staff at Sitting Bull College to share with us information about agriculture and economic development in that area of the state.

PIERRE - The federal corruption investigation at the Crow Creek reservation didn't go far enough. The bribery and conspiracy trial of tribal chairman Duane Big Eagle was a window into the financial mess there. During the trial, former chairman Lester Thompson Jr. testified that when he took office in 2006, succeeding Big Eagle, the tribal government owed $4 million to the Internal Revenue Service. Someone needs to explain how this happened. The Crow Creek tribal government derives its authority and receives most of its funding from the federal government.

Editor's note: Holly Hoffman's stint on "Survivor: Nicaragua" was voted the No. 4 story of 2010 by the American News newsroom and editorial board. Just how long can you "survive" on "Survivor"? Eureka's Holly Hoffman found out this year when she made it all the way to the final episode. Along the way, she also made some great reality television. How did she do it? Let's look back at Hoffman's travels, week-by-week: AUG. 9: Hoffman was announced as one of 20 contestants on "Survivor: Nicaragua," the 21st edition of the show.

Area resident Holly Hoffman made it through another week on the CBS show Survivor. Hoffman didn't win the rewards challenge or immunity, but was very safe at tribal council. She is well-liked by other contestants and hasn't made the list of people others want voted off. She now has a one in 10 chance at $1 million.

Area woman, Holly Hoffman, may be unstoppable on ‘Survivor.' Hoffman of Long Lake/Eureka makes it through another week on the show and her team Espada actually wins both the reward challenge and immunity challenge. Espada was safe from tribal council and La Flor has to vote a member out. For more from the episode, go to the reporters' blog .

In another "Survivor" twist, the tribes were told Wednesday that both would be sending someone home and that they would play for individual immunity. Area resident Holly Hoffman beat other members of the Espada tribe and won individual immunity. When Espada went to tribal council, it was Yve, a younger member, who was sent packing. Hoffman did well overall, despite losing a feast for her tribe. For more from the episode, go to the reporters' blog .

Each Monday, the American News newsroom takes a quick look at some issues making the news recently. It includes commentary on things that are good - and things that are not. What's good: Taking charge: Almost 1,700 people were vaccinated for H1N1 flu on Wednesday, and the event went smoothly. Kudos to the clinic's organizers and to those who took charge of their health by getting vaccinated. Twarted: Thanks to quick reaction by the employees at the Dacotah Bank in Mobridge and coordination of law enforcement efforts headed by dispatchers, an alleged bank robber was caught last week as she left the bank.

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribal elders, traditional government and other concerned tribal members will conduct a peaceful march on the tribal council of Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday in Agency Village. The march will include 100 tribal members who are protesting what they say is corruption of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribal government because of several issues, including excessive spending and Dakota Magic Casino management concerns, according to a press release.